The Valley of Bacca (weeping) & knitting

I have recently been reading a book that has repeatedly talked about the 'Valley of Bacca' or the 'Valley of Weeping' spoken of in Psalms. We all seem to go through this Valley at different times of our lives. Yet at each end of our 'Valley' we will find that a Mountain Top awaits us. I find this true when it comes to knitting. How many times do we 'frog' in knitting to only find that one time we don't 'frog' & are able to knit a wonderful piece that only came from our times of 'frogging'. Is this not true for all our journey's in life, whether it is life itself or with our knitting. God created this world with different stitches, different colors of yarn, just like we create beautiful items through our different patterns & yarns. With the completion of our pattern-our mountain top comes satisfaction like we have ever known, no matter how small or great our knitting project is. Life is beautiful, life is good, no matter how hard, no matter how many valleys (frogs) we have, our lives are beautiful because God created it all. Never forget our knitting, crocheting all our crafts come from God just as life itself does. God's Blessings Jil

Prayers and God

There are many scriptures in the Bible in regards to a faithful believer & prayers that are heard by God. My faith in God is so strong, but at times I do wavier. I believe that all believers waiver at some point in their life-because we are all human no matter how we look at life. Our hurts can become so strong at times that life becomes unfair in our eyes, yet I continue to remember a song by Karen Peck and New River called Four Days Late.

Here they are! Pay special attention to the words especially those in
the last verse & the chorus. I have to remember this all the time & pray my faith grows daily in my Lord.

Lyrics to "Four Days Late"Written by Aaron Wilburn
Performed by Karen Peck and New River
>The news came to Jesus, Please come fastLazarus is sick and without your help he will not lastMary and Martha watched their brother dieThey waited for Jesus, He did not come And they wondered why.

>The death watch was over, Buried four daysSomebody said He'll soon be here, the Lord's on His wayMartha ran to Him and then she criedLord if you had been here You could have healed himHe'd still be alive

>But You're four days late And all hope is goneLord we don't understand why you've waited so long But His way is God's way Not yours or mine When He's four days late He's still on time

>Jesus said Martha show me the grave, But she said LordYou don't understand He's been there four daysThe grave stone was rolled back, Then Jesus criedLazarus come forth then somebody saidHe's alive, He's alive

>But You're four days late And all hope is goneLord we don't understand why you've waited so longBut His way is God's way Not yours or mineWhen He's four days late He's still on time

>You may be fighting a battle of fearYou've cried to the Lord I need You nowBut he has not appeared. Friend don't be discouragedCause He's still the sameHe'll soon be here He'll roll back the stoneAnd He'll call out your name

>But You're four days late And all hope is gone Lord we don't understand why you've waited so long But His way is God's way Not yours or mine When He's four days late He's still on time

Our oldest son went through a nasty divorce this past year. His ex has been very cruel to all of us & none of us are allowed to his daughter, our granddaughter. She tried hard to make me the reason her marriage failed with my son, but when she could not, she made horrible acquisitions against him. He was cleared of all charges but she has done everything in her power to keep us all from seeing their precious little girl. It is so sad how Satan can take over someones mind to the point that they feel they can do such evil things to a family.

Her family has backed her up, although they know what was done was wrong. Life is so short for this kind of stuff to go on. I know in the end that she will have to explain to God why she let Satan influence her so much to be so evil. We all belong to the same faith, yet she has judged us all unmerciful. I think of the scripture that the way one judges someone, they will be judge that way in the end. I pray hard that I not judge her, but pray for her & her family's souls. Sometimes it is hard.

My son has a tentative date for a hearing to get his visitation set up, but she is fighting this. She has already remarried, less than a year after her divorce. She brought her 'boyfriend' out of the closet the day their divorce was final. Yes it was a male friend, someone she had been seeing while still married to our son. She planned her divorce months before she filed. It hurts so deep, please pray that the visitation can be set up as nicely as possible. Pray we can all agree to accept each other, letting us all share in this precious little girl's life.

We are all going to be there to support our son when the hearing is heard. We know he needs us as much as she will have her family there. Pray for both families that we can all be agreeable in sharing in this little girl's life, our granddter's life. Pray that I can remain humble with my love & prayers for my ex-dtr in law & her family. I struggle so. My knitting gets intense at times when I mourn not seeing our granddtr. I just try to do our best & keep on doing the best I can. God's Blessings

Trying to be Faithful

What a whirlwind my life has taken this past year & the storms still seem to be coming. Like a boat floating on the water, my life has seem to be floating too. I have made so many mistakes, disappointed many people, lost friends in a my year, made new ones, learned my limitations. Life can be cruel, but it can also be a blessing, in all struggles of your life, in all walks of your life.

We are not promised an easy life, but it is our reactions to what we receive in life determines how good or bad it will be. Depression is a struggle of mine, a hard struggle. I have to keep my eyes on God, keep my heart on God, keep my love on God. I know that it is only through God's grace that I am saved, I am here, I am alive.

My next few weeks I am looking at one of my hardest battles, but I KNOW that God is walking with me, that I will survive, will win this battle in life. It is only God's strength that will see me through this battle, once over, I will be stronger, better than ever before.

I wish I could say that our lives will have smooth sailing as we travel each day. All I can say is that God has promised to 'Never leave us' that if we trust Him, he will be with us, take care of us & hold us in the shelter of his arms.

I pray that each day you wake & walk in God's love, that you know God is always with you, walking beside you, knowing that His strength will give you hope each minute, hour and day you are here. God's blessings to you all.

Jesus Jesus Jesus

Have you heard the song sung by the Gaither's, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,........... If you haven't I really encourage you to hear them sing it. The Gaither's Vocal Band harmonize so well, so beautifully, that listening to them at night, or any time you are trouble, will give your soul peace, a peace on that comes from our God. There are other singers that give your soul peace, peace w/the beautiful voice God has given them. My husband has that voice. I can stand or even sit by him in Church, just listening to him sing. Voices God has given people are beautiful, so soothing to ones soul, no matter who you choose to listen to, how richly, how rewarding you soul will be, will find. I just sit amazed, listening to Southern Gospel singers, listening to the words they sing, listening to them sooth my heart & soul. I hope you can, will take time to listen, to let God's voices sooth your soul, your heart, your fears.

You see, I have this problem of not letting God take control, let God's voices sooth my soul. For some reason, trust is hard for me, hard to let go & let God help me. Help me get through the pain, the physical, the mental pain I have daily. I sometimes think I can solve my prob-lems, but then I know God is the only one who can, the only one who can heal, the only one who can love me, take all my pain & feel my soul with peace & love that only comes from God. I find it hard to believe that God's Grace reaches even me. Yet, in the Bible, it says it is true. True & free for the asking. I hope you can accept this truth, as I know I must accept this truth, no questions at all, no questions but only to believe God & his Word.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ........................................................................... God's love, peace & truth to you all.

Unbelievable!!

I can not believe that I have not written or posted since August! Well, life has been hard, filled with pains, paths I have never walked before. My back pain is not getting better, I pray daily that God will help, He does in his way, his time, not mine. The Doctor for pain management has changed the time I change my pads from every three days to every two days. My mind gets so confussed, so mixed up. I get lost in my own home at times. My dear hubby reminds me as if we have always dealt with the confussion. I want to sleep all the time, stay snug as a bug in my bed. I don't care if I don't get out of my room, I seem to be so content to just stay there-which is wrong for me. I need to get out more, to talk w/friends to enjoy being around them. As the medicine is changed, I seem to just want to be left alone; I pray that this will end soon, that I want to be w/friends, not be a recluse. They are wanting me to have a nerve stimulator put in my back, again! I had one placed in 2003, but they could never get it placed right, it kept slipping of my spine, which made my back hurt worse that ever.

To get it okay by my medical insurance, I have to go see a Pyschiatrist. Ken has said he does

not want to have the stimulator put in my back. I would rather have a pump placed in, as would Ken. He thinks that would be more practical. We are both stressed to the hilt, money problems, double mortages, pain medicines costing so much. We must both give it to God, to wait for his answers, his timing in all of this. I am scheduled to have cortisone injections in my back starting the 13-Jan-2009. I am scared about it all. I am tired of feeling like I do. I just want to feel better, not worse. I want to enjoy life, not fear life. God is in control, control of everything. I must accept it, accept God's answers, even though it hurts.

My Days are a mixture of......

My days are a mixture of good & bad, of feeling good & feeling bad, days where the pain is better, but most of the days are days full of pain & sleeping. Those days I have that are good are few & far between, those days my 'acting' is good. I try so hard to not show my pain to my d/hubby. He worries too much about me. There are days that I feel like I am being torn apart, the pain is great in my back, it runs down my legs, I must remember that God is with me.

I have days where I just don't take my medicine so I can do what I need to do. However, my back & legs hurt, hurt so bad, that walking, sitting, even taking a hot bath hurts so much I just have a hard time getting up & doing anything. I just want to stay in bed, cover my head & sleep it away, which doesn't work have the time. I get so tired, so tired of the pain, but I know there are others in worse shape than myself, those fighting cancer, fighting pain that is 10 times worse.

I must remember to smile, let God's peace fill my soul, because it is of him I am here, it is of Him that I live. He has blessed me with my life & the wonderful love of my husband. He blessed me so richly with my d/hubby, so blessed. He is the love of my life, a true blessing from God, my soul mate, my best friend. God gave us both to each other.

I love to walk in the woods, to smell the leaves as they turn in the fall, the colors they turn, God's color splash to the world. As Spring comes, the leaves come out, the flowers of the dogwood bloom. Those trees are soooooo pretty, their flowers a beauty beyond compare. God has truly blessed us all, blessed us with the beauty of all the seasons. The soft snow as it falls to the ground, the rains of summer that waters the world He has made. Why we take it for granted I will never know.

I read & must remember the peace the following scripture gives me. I hope you can find peace in it too as you read it.

Psalm 27
A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me

To eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

9 Do not hide Your face from me;

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not leave me nor forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the LORD will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,

And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;

For false witnesses have risen against me,

And such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

God's peace be with each of you this night. Those who are in pain, may you know that He will give you comfort this night, in the days & weeks to come. He can & will help you through the rough times, the times where your pain is over-whelming. He will bless you with days where the pain is not so bad. My prayers are with you all.

It's time to start.....

It is time to start blogging again. I would like you to meet my family-Ken, my dear husband {d/hubby} of 30 yrs, Joshua our oldest son of 29, & his daughter Maggie; George, our middle son who is 28, Holly & their daughter Emerson & son Mathis; Philip, our baby 26, soon to be 27. Our children our our 14 months apart. We should have had twins I know. We live in AR but are looking at moving somewhere w/my husband's company-just to see another part of the country. We have always thought of ourselves as gypsies that love to travel & not settle in one place. You learn so much when you do-so much about our country, who started this country up.

I am so behind in my knitting that it is time to get a kick into it. I feel like I am going crazy & I so wanted to enter something in our county fair. I hope I can get it all put together. My husband & I are having to make some tough decisions about my hobbies, etc. However, I am not going to have to give them up. I love meeting new people through my hobbies & exchanges. God willing our lives will not change to much in the days and weeks to come.

I continue to find new patterns I want to knit on a daily basis. I am trying to learn how to design my own cloths. I know it is not that hard to learn how to design dishcloths & each design a person creates it a design special to them. We all view things from different view points, those view points affect how we see things, how we create things in our life. I really want to make my own designs. I have so many ideas in my head-ideas that turn into design.

I must close for now. May each one have a blessed night & a wonderful day tomorrow, a wonderful weekend ahead with lots of joy, love & laughter in it. God bless each one of you daily with peace & love for your self, family, & friends.